Insidious Chapter 3 Confirmed, But Without James Wan

UPDATE: FilmDistrict has announced that they are indeed moving forward on Insidious Chapter 3, with writer Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum both set to return (tellingly, director James Wan is not mentioned). You can read our original article, including Blum's comments on wanting to return for a third chapter and speculation about Wan wanting to leave horror behind, below. At the bottom of the post is the press release announcing the third film.

As the founder of Blumhouse Productions, Jason Blum has become a kind of contemporary Roger Corman, quickly creating a string of low-budget horror movies that have proved box office smashes, as well as influential within the genre. The man has had a hand in making such hits as Sinister, The Purge, Insidious and the Paranormal Activity film series. With the release of Insidious: Chapter 2, I had the good fortune to interview Blum, and after a fascinating conversation about his plans for elevating the oft-sneered at genre, we talked more specifically about the furious of the Insidious franchise.

In the final scene of Chapter 2, there’s a clear set up for a third film. Do you and Wan have a plan for a third installation or—

I would love to make a third film, but James and Leigh will not hear of it until this movie comes out. So, I’d be thrilled to make a third movie, but there is no current plan to make a third movie at all. Only in my head!

Blum’s enthusiasm for a third venture into The Further is clear. But will director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell be as excited to return to this property? Blum’s comment implies there was no point in talking about a follow-up until Chapter 2 was proven a hit or miss. Well, while this sequel/prequel hybrid was less beloved by critics than the original, it tore up the box office this weekend. The $5 million dollar movie proved a winner, topping the box office with an astounding $41 million, beating the original’s opening by $28 million. But will this be enough to draw Wan back once Fast & Furious 7 wraps?

Over at Screen Rant, Perri Nemiroff drew our attention to a worrisome interview Wan gave in July to Moviefone, where he declared he’s done with horror:

“I’m going to go on record and say I am finished with the horror genre. Conjuring and Insidious 2 are my two last scary movies.”

Expanding on this shocking statement, Wan went on, ““I spent the last ten years of my life doing this. It’s time for a change, for goodness sake!...Hollywood puts you in a box. If you do a successful comedy, then you’re known as The Comedy Guy. If you do a successful car chase movie, then you become that guy. So I’m a student of cinema, so I just want to make sure I get the chance to make other kinds of films.”

I totally understand his desire to branch out. It’s something he made clear back at NY Comic Con last fall, where he confessed he’d really love to make a superhero movie someday. Fast & Furious 7 is a pretty smart step in that direction, but will Wan really give up horror for good? Blum is doubtful, telling Nemiroff:

“I think he says he’s not gonna make another horror movie, but I’m sure that he will and it will be even better for having done Fast and Furious.”

Back to what could lie in store for Insidious 3, Blum wouldn’t go into specifics on the potential third film when I spoke to him. However, spoilers for Insidious: Chapter 2 ahead, as the film ends on ghost Elise continuing her life’s work with the help of Specs and Tucker, there is a pretty clear path for the franchise’s next installment. As to whether we’ll eve see it, well, that appears to be up to Wan.

Los Angeles September 16, 2013 – Entertainment One (eOne), FilmDistrict, and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA) announced today that together they will be developing the third chapter of the micro-budgeted INSIDIOUS film franchise which Leigh Whannell has signed on to write. Whannell has written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 which just had a stellar first weekend release in North America debuting to more than $40 million at the box office making it one of the largest horror genre openings ever and one of the biggest openings for a film released in the month of September. Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions, which produced both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, is producing the next installment along with Oren Peli. Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh Jones, Peter Schlessel, Lia Buman and Xavier Marchand are executive producing.

In a joint statement, Peter Schlessel, FilmDistrict’s CEO, Xavier Marchand, eOne’s President, Film Production, and Steven Bersch, President of SPWA, said, “The release of the first INSIDIOUS resonated with audiences around the world and quickly became one of the most talked about films in 2011. This weekend moviegoers enjoyed the terrifying continuation of the first film and we are confident they will be excited to see the third chapter of the INSIDIOUS world. There is nobody better suited to bring audiences the next chapter of this haunting story than Leigh who has brilliantly written both INSIDIOUS and INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2.”

Jason Blum, founder and CEO of Blumhouse said, “FilmDistrict, eOne and SPWA have been incredible partners on the INSIDIOUS franchise. We are all so grateful for how audiences embraced James Wan and Leigh's latest film and are excited to see what Leigh has in store for the third chapter.”

The first INSIDIOUS told the story of Josh and Renai Lambert and their son Dalton, confronting the demons that possess the young boy. The project was picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and distributed by FilmDistrict in the US. eOne handles rights to the film in Canada, U.K. and Spain, and Sony handles rights in the rest of the world. It was released on April 1, 2011, and has grossed $97 million worldwide. With the picture’s reported $1.5 million budget, it has led to the film being called the most profitable film of 2011.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2, the terrifying sequel, follows the haunted Lambert family as they seek to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, and Barbara Hershey reprised their roles in the film directed by James Wan, who also directed the first installment.